Renovated Feyenoord stadium gets 70,000 seats in 2018

Source: XINHUA | May 01,2014

THE HAGUE, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The stadium of the Dutch soccer club Feyenoord, De Kuip, will be renovated to seat 70,000 spectators in 2018, the advisory committee dealing with the future of the stadium announced on Thursday.

The advisory committee chose the construction proposal by company BAM. The stadium will thus not get a third ring, as defined in the alternative plan by the Save De Kuip Foundation, but an extended second ring. BAM and Save De Kuip were the only parties left in the race for the assignment.

Besides 70,000 seats, the stadium will get a retractable roof, 90 business units and approximately 6,300 business seats. Building is planned to start in summer 2015, and to finish in 2018 with total costs of an estimated 200 million euros.

The Feyenoord stadium was completed in 1937. The original capacity was 64,000, but in 1949 it was expanded to 69,000, and in 1994 it was renovated again for a capacity of 51,177. In November last year a plan by Feyenoord to build a new stadium was cancelled, because it was too expensive and did not get the support of the Rotterdam council members. The council still has to agree to the new plan, but this time a donation by the council is not necessary.